1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to computer security and in particular to efficiently utilizing computing resources while providing security.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computers are susceptible to a wide variety of security threats. For example, a computer connected to a network can be attacked by a software worm, download a Trojan horse program, and/or receive an emailed computer virus or other type of malicious software (malware). Similarly, the end-user of the computer can be victimized by a phishing scam that entices the end-user to provide information, such as a credit card number, to a malicious entity on the network. Even a computer without a network connection is susceptible to malware introduced through infected memory keys, portable hard drives, and floppy disks.
These threats are so prevalent that it is now customary to run dedicated security software on computers. The security software monitors for threats by scanning files and email for the presence of malware, filtering network traffic according to a security policy (i.e., providing a firewall), detecting worms and other intrusions, notifying end-users of possibly-dangerous web pages, etc. This monitoring can utilize a significant percentage of the computer's computing resources, such as memory, processor cycles, and battery power.
Sometimes, the security software performs unnecessary monitoring. For example, it is typically not necessary to run a firewall on a computer lacking an active network connection. Nevertheless, the security software will provide the firewall regardless of whether the network is present. Further, many computer end-users lack the technical skills and/or initiative to adjust the settings of the security software to disable unnecessary monitoring.
Therefore, the security software sometimes wastes computing resources by monitoring for threats when no threats exist. This waste may cause other programs to run more slowly, drain laptop batteries faster, and have other negative consequences on the affected computer. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a way to conserve computing resources while providing computer security.